beverage container

ABSTRACT

The invention pertains to beverage containers comprising a disposable cardboard or plastic cup that are used for hot beverages. According to the invention, a cardboard or plastic holder embraces at a distance a disposable beverage cup and is connected to the cup outer surface and serves to protect fingers and insulate disposable beverage cup. Herein, the container can be used, without any danger of burning the fingers, to drink a hot beverage from a disposable beverage cup, and at the same time, slow down the cooling process due to air gaps between the disposable beverage cap and the holder.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Not Applicable

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND

The invention pertains to beverage containers comprising a disposable cardboard or plastic cup that are used for hot beverages.

Such containers are often used for dispensing and drinking hot beverages. A shortcoming of these containers, which are made in the form of regular disposable beverage cups, is that they do not provide sufficient protection from a hot beverage, especially because these disposable cups are made with very thin walls as a result of savings considerations. Moreover, the beverage gets cold very fast.

Therefore, the objective of the invention is to develop a container that would be able to contain a hot beverage while providing sufficient protection for the fingers against burns. In addition, the container should also ensure insulation for a hot beverage and slow down its cooling.

The technical result is achieved by the features of claim 1 of the invention. The container comprises a cardboard or plastic holder inside of which is a disposable beverage cup, wherein the holder is connected to the outside surface of the disposable beverage cup and located at a certain distance from the cup. In this way, the holder functions to protect the hands from touching the hot disposable beverage cup, while at the same time insulating the hot beverage.

The container can be held by a user with no contact with the disposable beverage cup, and used for drinking a hot beverage. The air gap between the holder and the disposable beverage cup retards the cooling process.

Preferred embodiments of the container follow from subordinate claims.

The holder can have a bottom portion and an upper circumference (edge). A disposable beverage cup can be placed into the holder and, at a minimum, the holder is connected by its upper circumference (edge) to a corresponding edge of the disposable beverage cup.

In an alternative embodiment, the holder embraces the disposable beverage cup by means of a container wall between the disposable beverage cup and the holder, and this container wall is connected to the disposable beverage cup's edge and bottom portion.

Another embodiment can also provide that the holder embraces the disposable beverage cup at a distance by means of the container wall; in this case, the disposable beverage cup's edge is connected to the container wall's edge, and the disposable beverage cup is placed into the holder, while the container wall is connected to the outer surface of the holder's edge.

According to a different embodiment, the container wall is made of small tubes (plates) and connected by means of its lower edge to the bottom portion of the holder, and a disposable beverage cup is placed into the holder.

The disposable beverage cup can be made with a film-thin wall reinforced with vertical ribs.

In production, the holder or container wall can be made from a certain cardboard or plastic film blank, wherein the blank vertical edges are connected to each other.

Yet another embodiment of the disposable beverage cup has an outward-bent edge, its width determining the distance between the disposable beverage cup and the holder, and the holder's edge is connected to the disposable beverage cup's edge.

It is preferable that the holder's edge is lower than the disposable beverage cup height.

SUMMARY

The invention pertains to beverage containers comprising a disposable cardboard or plastic cup that are used for hot beverages. According to the invention, a cardboard or plastic holder embraces at a distance a disposable beverage cup and is connected to the cup outer surface and serves to protect fingers and insulate disposable beverage cup. Herein, the container can be used, without any danger of burning the fingers, to drink a hot beverage from a disposable beverage cup, and at the same time, slow down the cooling process due to air gaps between the disposable beverage cap and the holder.

FIGURES

FIG. 1—a container comprising a disposable beverage cup placed into a holder,

FIG. 2—a view of the container from the top down; the open top portion of a disposable beverage cup whose edge is connected to the holder,

FIG. 3—a view of the container from the bottom up showing the holder's bottom portion connected to the cup holder's outer surface

FIG. 4—a three-dimensional view of the holder with its walls made of small tubes (plates).

REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   -   10. Disposable Beverage Cup     -   11. Disposable Cup top edge     -   12. Holder's bottom edge (top view)     -   13. Bottom of Cup (top view)     -   14. Vertical Ribs     -   20. Holder     -   21. Holder's top edge     -   22. Bottom Portion of Holder     -   24. Small Tubes     -   25. Strip     -   26. Container Wall     -   27. Bottom of Holder (bottom view)     -   28. Holder's bottom edge (bottom view)     -   30. Joint     -   31. Vertical Edges

DESCRIPTION

The container embodiment shown in FIG. 1 comprises disposable beverage cup 10 made of cardboard or plastic, and holder 20. Holder 20 is also made of cardboard or plastic and seats disposable beverage cup 10. In the upper circumference, the top edge 11 of disposable beverage cup 10 and the top edge 21 of the holder 20 overlap. As joint 30 shows, top the edge 11 of the disposable beverage cup can be connected to the top edge 21 of the holder 20 by gluing or another method. A beverage is placed in the disposable beverage cup 10, wherein the cup is placed on the bottom portion 22 of the holder 20. Between the disposable beverage cup 10 and the holder 20, an air gap space is created which serves as insulation for the disposable beverage cup 10. The customer can, without fear, grab the holder 20 to drink a hot beverage from the disposable beverage cup 10. The cup and holder bottom portions can also be connected to each other.

The disposable beverage cup can be made with a film-thin wall reinforced with vertical ribs (14).

As shown in FIG. 2, the holder 20 can also comprise a cardboard or plastic container wall 26 which embraces disposable beverage cup 10 at a distance. On the upper and lower sides, the cup and holder are connected to each other all around by means of a strip 25. Herein, the bottom 13 of the disposable beverage cup 10 rests on the bottom edge 12 of the holder 20. The disposable beverage cup can be made with a film-thin wall reinforced with vertical ribs.

FIG. 3 shows a view of the container from the bottom up, and shows an example of another embodiment with the container wall 26 [FIG. 3 shows 20, when it should be 26] made of small tubes 24. Herein, the container wall 26 is made of a cardboard or plastic blank whose vertical edges 31 [FIG. 3 shows two 30s, so the one on the left should be 31] are connected to each other. And the lower circumference of the container wall 26 is connected to the outer surface of the bottom edge 28 of the holder onto which the disposable beverage cup is placed. The joint is denoted with special symbol 30. The top edge 21 of the holder is lower than the height of disposable beverage cup (not shown). The upper circumference of the container wall 26 can be directly connected to the top edge 11 of the disposable beverage cup (not shown).

According to FIG. 4, the holder 20 can also have a wall made of small tubes 24 and the wall's lower circumference is connected to the bottom portion 22 of the holder 20.

Thus, it has been made possible to have a stable holder 20 wherein a disposable beverage cup 10 can be placed. To secure the cup and holder at a certain distance, the upper circumference of the holder 20 can also be connected to an outward-bent top edge 11 of the disposable beverage cup 10, the top edge's width determining the distance between the disposable beverage container 10 and holder 20. 

1. A beverage container comprising a disposable cardboard or plastic holder intended for hot beverages, distinctive in that the cardboard or plastic holder embraces at a distance a disposable beverage cup, and is connected to the cup's outer surface and serves to protect fingers and insulate the disposable beverage cup.
 2. The beverage container per claim 1, distinctive in that the holder (20) has a top edge (21) and bottom portion (22), and the disposable beverage cup (10) is placed in the holder which, at a minimum, is connected by means of its top edge (21) to a top edge of the disposable beverage cup.
 3. The beverage container per claim 1, distinctive in that the holder (20) embraces at a distance the disposable beverage cup (10) by means of a container wall (26) connected to top edge of the cup (11) by means of the bottom edge (12) of the holder
 4. The beverage container per claim 1, distinctive in that by means of a container wall (26) the holder embraces at a distance the disposable beverage cup (10), the holder's top edge (11) is connected to the top edge of the container wall (26, wherein the disposable beverage cup (10) is placed in the holder (27), and the container wall (26 is connected to the outer surface of the holder's bottom edge (28) (FIG. 3).
 5. The container per claim 1, distinctive in that the container wall is formed from small tubes (plates) (24) and connected by means of its lower circumference to a bottom portion (22) of the holder, and the disposable beverage cup (10) is placed in holder (20) (FIG. 4).
 6. The container per one of claims 1-5, distinctive in that the disposable cup (10) is made with a film-thin wall reinforced with vertical ribs (14).
 7. The container per one of claims 2-5, distinctive in that the holder (20) or a container wall (26) of holder (20) are made from a cardboard or plastic film blank, and the blank vertical edges are connected to each other.
 8. The container per one of claims 1-5, distinctive in that the disposable beverage cup (10) has an outward-bent top edge (11), the top edge's width determining the distance between the disposable beverage cup (10) and the holder (20), and the top edge of the holder (20) is connected to top the edge (11) of disposable beverage cup (10).
 9. A container per claim 4, distinctive in that cup holder's top edge 21 is lower than the height of the disposable beverage cup (10). 